- CA: Progressive candidate launches last-minute challenge to Karen Bass for LA mayor
Source: The Hill
“Progressive Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman (D) on Saturday made a last-minute bid to challenge Mayor Karen Bass (D) in the June primary election. Raman made the announcement hours before the 12 p.m. filing deadline for candidates be on the ballot. She praised Bass in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, calling the mayor ‘an icon’ but said the city needs someone who will tackle its problems. … Raman was the first of three candidates aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America to win seats on the city council, followed by Hugo Soto-Martinez and Eunisses Hernandez. Raman defeated former City Councilmember David Ryu in 2020 and was reelected in 2024.” (02/07/26)
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5728127-nithya-raman-challenges-mayor-bass/
- Border Patrol gang member’s texts after he shot a Chicago woman five times will be released, judge rules
Source: NBC News
“The text messages a Border Patrol agent sent to colleagues and family members after he repeatedly shot a Chicago woman in October can be released to the public, a federal judge ruled Friday. In messages previously made public, the agent bragged about his marksmanship. U.S. District Judge Georgia Alexakis stated in court that the text messages provide insight into the agent’s and the Department of Homeland Security’s credibility, as well as into how DHS leadership perceived the shooting. The agent, Charles Exum, shot Marimar Martinez five times on Oct. 4, after she allegedly rammed her car into agents’ vehicles. Martinez denies ramming them and said agents were the aggressors. Exum did not have his body camera turned on during the incident. In one text message previously released, he bragged about his shooting skills, writing: ‘I fired 5 rounds and she had 7 holes. Put that in your book boys.'” (02/07/26)
- MI: State’s Supreme Court blocks legal challenges tied to one-judge “grand juries”
Source: Detroit News
“In a case with a potentially far-reaching impact, the Michigan Supreme Court has closed the door on a wave of post-conviction challenges tied to the state’s use of judges as one-person grand juries. In the unanimous opinion issued Feb. 4 and written by Justice Elizabeth Welch, the court said that its 2022 decision restricting the use of one-man grand juries, which curtailed prosecutions in the Flint Water Crisis, does not apply retroactively to cases that are already final. The court held that defendants convicted years ago cannot rely on its earlier ruling in People v. Peeler to reopen their cases simply because they were charged through a one-person grand jury rather than given a preliminary examination. The case before the court involved Todd Douglas Robinson, who was convicted in 2013 of first-degree premeditated murder and felony-firearm in what was allegedly a drug deal gone bad.” (02/07/26)
- Italy: Police arrest protesters after clash in Olympic host city Milan
Source: BBC News [UK state media]
“Six people have been arrested after police clashed with protesters in Milan, one of the hosts of the Winter Olympic Games, during the first day of the competition. Thousands took to the streets of the city in northern Italy on Saturday to protest against a range of issues including the cost of living. Some released fireworks and threw stones at police, who responded with water cannon. It comes after the government tightened protest laws in the wake of a demonstration last weekend in Turin that left more than 100 officers injured, according to government figures. Meanwhile, officials are investigating suspected sabotage on northern Italy’s railway network on Saturday.” 902/08/26)
- WaPo publisher Will Lewis abruptly resigns amid criticism of staff cuts
Source: The Guardian [UK]
“Will Lewis, the Murdoch media veteran who took over as publisher and chief executive of the Washington Post in early 2024, announced abruptly on Saturday evening that he is leaving the company. His departure comes just three days after the Post laid off nearly one-third of its entire staff, citing the need to cut costs and reposition the money-losing publication. Lewis, who did not appear on the all-staff meeting during which the cuts were announced, has faced criticism for his absence and leadership. … [Jeff] Bezos, who has owned the Post since 2013, and who has received heavy criticism in recent days for his stewardship of the publication, released a statement touting the Post and its new leadership team – without addressing Lewis’s tenure overseeing the company.” (02/07/26)
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2026/feb/07/washington-post-will-lewis-resigns
- Nancy Guthrie disappearance: Ransom demand for Savannah Guthrie’s mom is reportedly $6 million
Source: Fox News
“A local TV station reports that the potential kidnappers of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of ‘Today’ host Savannah Guthrie, sent in a ransom note with a threatening demand for millions for dollars in exchange for the 84-year-old’s safe return. KGUN 9 in Tucson reported that it received a note that demanded $6 million before 5 p.m. local time Monday and threatened Nancy Guthrie’s life if the family does not meet the deadline. The station previously reported that it and other media outlets had each received a ransom note demanding several million dollars in Bitcoin. The report comes as Savannah Guthrie posted a new video to Instagram on Saturday, saying her family had received a message and was pleading for the return of their missing mother. The family did not detail what this message said.” (02/08/26)
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/nancy-guthrie-disappearance-arizona-feb-8-live-updates
- Appeals court back’s Trump’s unconstitutional mass detention policy
Source: Politico
“A federal appeals court Friday night backed the Trump administration’s policy to lock up the vast majority of people it is seeking to deport without offering a chance for bond, even if they have no criminal records and have resided in the country for decades. A divided three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals concluded that the administration’s view — a reversal of every administration’s position for the last 30 years — is the correct interpretation of the federal government’s power to detain people targeted for deportation.” [editor’s note: The Constitution forbids excessive bail — no opportunity for bail at all is by definition excessive – TLK] (02/06//26)
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/06/trump-mass-detention-5th-circuit-00770361
- France: Former culture minister resigns over Epstein-linked tax fraud probe
Source: SFGate
“France’s former Culture Minister Jack Lang has resigned as head of a Paris cultural center over alleged past financial links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that prompted a tax investigation. He is the highest-profile figure in France impacted by the release of Epstein files on Jan. 30 by the U.S. Department of Justice. He is known for his role as a culture minister under Socialist President François Mitterrand in the 1980s and 1990s. Lang, 86, was summoned to appear at the French Foreign Ministry, which oversees the Arab World Institute, on Sunday, but he submitted his resignation.” (02/08/26)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/france-s-former-culture-minister-resigns-over-21341082.php
- Flesh-eating parasite sparks disaster declaration in Texas
Source: New York Post
“Texas will not get screwed by the flesh-eating parasite known as the screwworm — with Gov. Greg Abbott declaring a preemptive disaster declaration before the devastating organism even gets to the Lone Star State. The New World Screwworm, a fly which can burrow into and feed on living tissue, has been steadily making its way north from Central and Southern America, officials said. … Abbott is also ordering state agencies to gear up before the parasite arrives, directing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas Animal Health Commission to form a joint New World Screwworm Response Team.” (02/07/26)
https://nypost.com/2026/02/07/us-news/flesh-eating-parasite-sparks-disaster-declaration-in-texas/
- Three suspects in Russian general’s shooting named, including alleged gunman
Source: BBC News [Uk state media]
“Russia says it has identified three suspects involved in the shooting of high-profile military general Lt Gen Vladimir Alexeyev. They include the man said to have carried out the attack, who has been named as Ukrainian-born Russian citizen Lyubomir Korba. Russia’s Investigations Committee (SK) said Korba arrived in the capital, Moscow, in late December ‘on assignment from Ukrainian intelligence services to commit a terrorist attack.’ Kyiv has reportedly denied involvement. … Spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said on Sunday that his attacker had fired three shots before fleeing and that Korba travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) hours after the shooting. He has since been arrested and extradited.” (02/08/26)
- For a Better America, Reject Pretty Please Puritanism
Source: Garrison Center
by Thomas L Knapp“Moral panic — defined on Wikipedia as ‘a widespread feeling of fear that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society’ — has become our chief political currency. It’s in the driver’s seat. It has the wheel. And it manifests as a form of puritanism, also conveniently defined by Mencken: ‘The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.’ We can’t have that! Something must be done! There oughtta be a law! And the laws always come down less to prohibition than to permission.” (02/08/26)
- Speech That Plays It Safe Does Not Remain Free for Long
Source: Liberal Currents
by Guillaume AW Attia“Whether one thinks protesting in the streets of Minneapolis is a wise action or not, it remains the case that Americans have a right to vigorously protest the actions of the state, and not fear being killed for it. In fact, it was Justice Douglas’s opinion that ‘the right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs,’ is ‘one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes.’ To believe, whether implicitly or explicitly, that public protests are only justified when complainants protest quietly, or when the government deems the protests appropriate, or when the victims are lionized by the administration and its backers, is to give far too much credit to the state.” (02/07/26)
- MAGA’s Second Amendment double standard
Source: Orange County Register
by Steven Greenhut“For my entire adult life, I’ve listened to self-described ‘constitutional’ conservatives strut around like God’s gift to the nation’s conscience, as they lecture everyone on the importance of upholding the original intent of America’s founding document. They’ve been oddly silent as Donald Trump’s administration directly assaults the Constitution. He’s not the first one to do it, but he is doing so more brazenly than others. Even if some ‘whataboutism’ is appropriate, wouldn’t it be more consistent for conservatives to criticize these assaults just as they criticized previous assaults under Joe Biden and Barack Obama? Cheering — or remaining silent — as ICE agents arrest those who photograph them (First Amendment), carry out warrantless searches (Fourth Amendment), and ignore the directives of governors (10th Amendment) is the definition of hypocrisy.” (02/06/26)
- Under Trump, the “War on Drugs” is a Military Campaign — and It Still Doesn’t Make Sense
Source: Cato Institute
by Peter Goettler“The recent expansion of the drug war into military action underscores a deeper problem: a longstanding policy with costs that are concrete, immense and well documented, while its benefits remain vague and modest.” (02/06/26)
https://www.cato.org/commentary/under-trump-war-drugs-military-campaign-it-still-doesnt-make-sense
- Does the US Still Have a Constitution?
Source: Judging Freedom
by Andrew P Napolitano“Formally, the United States still has a Constitution. We still have the three branches of government. Congress still has the House of Representatives and the Senate. The president is still elected by the Electoral College. The courts still function to resolve disputes and to define what the laws mean and what the Constitution means. Yet, thanks in large measure to the public fear and mania in the war on drugs in the 1980s and 1990s, the war on terror in the 2000s and 2010s, and now the war on immigrants, functionally, Congress found it easy to cut constitutional corners and to look the other way as one crisis after another has led to the expansion of executive powers and the erosion of personal freedoms.” (02/06/26)
- How Long Can America Go on Like This?
Source: Town Hall
by Mark Lewis“There is an unbridgeable gap in the United States right now between two people with polar opposite views of the world, its purpose, man’s place in it, and what the country should be in the future. And nobody can sit on the fence; you are on one side or another. ‘You are either for me or against me,’ Jesus said, and that is the situation every American faces right now, regarding the future and destiny of the nation. The Left isn’t going to change, folks. They are, for the foreseeable and indefinite future, rooted in their beliefs and ideology, and they aren’t going to be converted.” [editor’s note: Nor, I suspect, will Mark Lewis turn his life around, start rejecting the glamour of evil, and refuse to be further mastered by sin – TLK] (02/07/25)
https://townhall.com/columnists/marklewis/2026/02/07/how-long-can-america-go-on-like-this-n2670824
- The Stakes Are Too High To Be This Cringe
Source: Persuasion
by Leonora Barclay“Are you sitting down? There’s big news from the Democratic Party. No, they haven’t developed a coherent plan to address ICE shooting civilians on American streets. Nor have they much to say about Trump’s foreign policy, which is so disruptive that it forced European nations to remember they have armies and deploy troops to Greenland. No, this is much more important for the country. Kamala Harris has released a video. … Harris is right that Democrats have struggled to keep momentum going after 2024. But the solution isn’t to pretend that a glossy website counts as a genuine gameplan. As the Democrats’ cringey YouTube channel showed us, the issue isn’t a lack of content. It’s a lack of substance.” (02/07/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-democrats-are-still-lost
- Political impacts on migration and population shifts within the States
Source: The Price of Liberty
by Nathan Barton“Yes, the Big Three Woke States (California, New York, and Illinois) all lost population. Note this is despite the influx of border jumpers into those States during Uncle Joe’s reign. But at the most causal observation, it is clear that many other Woke ‘Democratic Party stronghold’ States did have population growth. Particularly note Delaware, with 7.1% but even the Great Lake States (MN, WI, and MI), Washington State, New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona had increases. Which apparently are mostly additions to their big urban areas. Their rural and frontier areas show little growth.” (02/07/26)
- The Plutocrats Who Rule Our World Aren’t Even Enjoying Themselves
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone“I saw a tweet by Elon Musk the other day: ‘Whoever said ‘money can’t buy happiness’ really knew what they were talking about.’ He put a sadface emoji at the end. I personally do not feel the slightest bit sorry for Elon Musk and his feelings. But the fact that these billionaires aren’t even enjoying themselves as they poison our planet and rob us all says so much about the madness of the civilization we are living in. I mean, think about it. It’s not even making them happy. … It would be terrible if these obscenely wealthy oligarchs were robbing everyone else of happiness in order to make themselves exponentially happier than all of us. But they’re not even making themselves happy. They’re fucking miserable. Everyone involved in this abusive dynamic is suffering from it — even the abusers.” (02/07/25)
- As Strike Looms, LA Schools Need Reform — Not More Spending
Source: Independent Institute
by Williamson M Evers“The Los Angeles Unified School District is about to endure a probably ugly teachers strike. But pouring more money into teacher salaries is not the answer. Rather, only three reforms have any hope of improving performance in LA Unified: breaking up the district; parental choice; and Mississippi-style rigor.” (02/07/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/02/07/la-schools-need-reform-not-a-strike/
- Pity the College Kids
Source: Brownstone Institute
by Christine Black“Classical liberal arts education embraces the ideals of sharpening students’ critical and creative thinking; provoking them to examine divergent perspectives; and teaching them to strengthen their oral and written arguments. Yet, during the Covid period, colleges and universities all over the country followed government and bureaucratic mandates while discouraging and even punishing students’ critical thinking and questioning.” (02/07/26)
- Self-Defeating “Sustainability”
Source: Quillette
by Henry I Miller“The sustainable agriculture movement’s ideological opposition to biotechnology undermines genuine environmental progress and food security.” (02/08/26)
https://quillette.com/2026/02/08/self-defeating-sustainability-agriculture-environment/
- Let the morally and financially bankrupt UN perish
Source: New York Post
by Paul du Quenoy“‘Imminent financial collapse,’ United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres hysterically predicted in a Jan. 29 letter to all UN member states, saying his reputationally challenged organization is so cash-strapped that it will run out of money by July, close its iconic Manhattan headquarters in August and cancel its annual General Assembly meeting in September. Most UN functions, including its Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, which claims to coordinate responses to global emergencies, may also sunset in the coming months due to lack of funds. This gushing cavalcade of good news sounds more like a promise than a warning.” (02/07/25)
- The Only Thing Standing Between Humanity and AI Apocalypse Is … Claude?
Source: Wired
by Steven Levy“As AI systems grow more powerful, Anthropic’s resident philosopher says the startup is betting Claude itself can learn the wisdom needed to avoid disaster.” (02/06/26)
- The Real Reason Science Is Broken
Source: Persuasion
by Tim Requarth“A study published last month in Nature analyzed 41 million research papers across the natural sciences and found something that should unsettle anyone who believes AI will revolutionize scientific discovery. Yes, scientists who adopt AI tools publish three times more papers and receive nearly five times more citations. Their careers accelerate. But the collective range of scientific topics under investigation shrinks by nearly 5 percent, and researchers’ engagement with one another’s work drops by 22 percent. The tools that turbocharge individual scientists appear to be narrowing science as a whole.” (02/06/26)
https://www.persuasion.community/p/the-real-reason-science-is-broken
- Minneapolis Demonstrates How to Resist Brutality Without Losing Your Soul
Source: The UnPopulist
by Emily Chamlee-Wright & Jason S Canon“‘These are the times that try men’s souls.’ That’s how Thomas Paine opened The American Crisis in 1776. The Declaration of Independence narrates the origins of that crisis: a tyrant choosing private gain over public good, usurping legislative authority, stifling immigration, cutting off trade, bending the judiciary, and sending ‘hither swarms of Officers to harass our people.’ 250 years later, surveying the aftermath of the ICE surge in Minneapolis, we know what Paine meant. … we’d like to follow Paine in turning soulward. How do we bear witness and resist without letting our shock and outrage corrupt who we are? We’re not here to tell anyone what or how to feel. Rather, we want to explore two traditions of directing our feelings toward inner and outer peace.” (02/06/26)
https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/minneapolis-demonstrates-how-to-resist
- The Military’s AI Strategy Threatens Everything We Love
Source: Common Dreams
by Chris Jeske“As did many fellow Americans, I chuckled when President Trump announced the creation of the US Space Force on December 20, 2019. I even remember laughing heartily while taking in the late-night circuit’s many Star Trek jokes that day. Yet, I had mostly forgotten that the Space Force still exists until last week when Secretary of War Pete Hegseth started a policy speech alongside Elon Musk at SpaceX’s headquarters by flashing the Vulcan salute and affirming Musk’s desire to ‘make Star Trek real.’ The absurdity of Musk’s introduction (in which he spoke of ‘going beyond our star system to other star systems, where we may meet aliens or discover long dead alien civilizations’ as if this could happen in any of our lifetimes) belied the seriousness of the new U.S. Military Artificial Intelligence strategy that Secretary Hegseth proceeded to announce.” (02/07/25)
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/threats-of-ai-use-by-military
- American Decency Still Lives
Source: Paul Krugman
by Paul Krugman“[F]or much of Trump’s first year in office many Democrats were reluctant to challenge his immigration policies, because their defeat in 2024 was widely seen as in part a response to surging immigration during the Biden years. Until recently, Democrats tried to keep the national conversation focused on affordability and Trump’s obvious failure to deliver on his promises to bring grocery prices way down. While the Democratic strategy was an understandable response to a shattering electoral defeat, it rested on a cynical and nihilistic view of American voters: that they couldn’t be trusted to vote against a party that reveled in inflicting cruelty and injustice as long as the price of gasoline fell. But recent events refute this nihilistic cynicism.” (02/06/26)
https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/american-decency-still-lives
- Ronald Coase, Abba Lerner, and the Calculation Controversy
Source: David Friedman’s Substack
by David Friedman“The Calculation Controversy was an extended debate between a group of free market economists, including Ludwig von Mises and Friederich Hayek, and a group of socialist economists including Abba Lerner and Oskar Lange. It was set off by Mises’ article Economic Calculation in the Socialist Commonwealth, which argued that without markets and trade, rational economic calculation was impossible. The most interesting response from the socialist side was the Lerner and Lange’s model of socialism with markets.” (02/06/26)
https://daviddfriedman.substack.com/p/ronald-coase-abba-lerner-and-the
- Notes On Epstein
Source: The Weekly Dish
by Andrew Sullivan“The following, it seems to me, is what really matters: an email from an Epstein friend in 2014 (long, long after Epstein’s conviction for sex with a minor): ‘Thank you for a fun night … Your littlest girl was a little naughty.’ No proof of an actual crime here but, in the broader context of what we know about Epstein, the mind reels at the way so many in our elite were able to ignore the abuse of minors happening in the wings. Money, glamor, and connections easily trumped any moral qualms. I guess if Catholic Cardinals can look the other way, so can Larry Summers and Brad Karp. There’s something darker here too. The abuse of minors turned into a joke — long after Epstein’s first conviction …” (02/06/26)
- A Rothbardian Perspective on ICE Agents in Minnesota
Source: Ludwig von Mises Institute
by Conor Sanderson“In today’s divided political landscape, opinions on the actions of ICE agents in Minnesota are sharply split. However, turning to the insights of Murray Rothbard offers a thoughtful and critical perspective. Although Rothbard never encountered ICE agents during his lifetime, his writings suggest he would likely criticize the violent actions of these agents in Minnesota. Rothbard would probably see them as symbols of state aggression and institutionalized coercion.” (02/06/26)
https://mises.org/power-market/rothbardian-perspective-ice-agents-minnesota
- Louisville Is Making It Easier To Smoke Cigars Indoors
Source: Bluegrass Institute
by Jacob Grier“Bourbon and tobacco are two products practically synonymous with Kentucky. Pairing them indoors within the state’s borders, however, is surprisingly difficult. Forty-four cities and counties throughout the state have implemented comprehensive indoor smoking bans. But a whiff of change is in the air: Last year, Louisville passed an exemption for cigar bars, and a new bill in the legislature could legalize them statewide.” (02/06/26)
- Grandstanding Newsom will stop at nothing to ride the rails to glory in 2028
Source: Fox News
by Jonathan Turley“In the dystopian novel ‘1984’, George Orwell wrote, ‘The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.’ The true meaning of that line was never more clear than watching the truly bizarre photo op of Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom heralding the success of the greatest boondoggle in history: his high-speed train to nowhere. Without laying a single yard of track after burning $12 billion, Newsom showed a diesel freight train on a conventional track to create the appearance of a working railroad. I have been writing about this boondoggle for years. Newsom promised years ago that the project would be transformative. It was, but not as he promised.” (02/07/25)
- Here’s Why Californians Should Sue for Reparations — for DEI
Source: Independent Institute
by K Lloyd Billingsley“Last week, the federal Department of Justice, led by Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon, joined a lawsuit against UCLA medical school accusing it of admitting students on the basis of race, not academic qualifications. As students and parents should know, race-based admissions violate California law. … Californians should consider suing the UC system for reparations for a bloated DEI establishment that perpetuates injustice, defrauds taxpayers, and serves no educational purpose.” (02/06/26)
https://www.independent.org/article/2026/02/06/ucla-medical-school-race-preferences/
- The Middle Finger Majority
Source: The Erick Erickson Show
by Erick-Woods Erickson“Republicans keep making excuses. The Texas State Senate special election was about local issues, a bad candidate, and infighting. The Georgia State House special election was about local issues, a bad candidate, infighting, and state party incompetence. That is eight state legislative elections the GOP lost in Republican seats. Republicans have lost Republican seats in Texas, Mississippi, Georgia, and other reliably Republican states. To tell Republicans this is to be an apostate. They simply do not want to hear it. Like the Democrats before them, Republican dreams of a majority are built now on lies they tell themselves.” (02/06/26)
https://ewerickson.substack.com/p/the-middle-finger-majority
- A federal judge schools chaotic Kristi Noem
Source: Washington Post
by George F Will“Shrill but useful — useful because she is so shrill — Kristi Noem has elicited from a federal judge a valuable 83-page tutorial. The secretary of homeland security, her mind as closed as a clam, will not benefit from Judge Ana C. Reyes’s explanation of immigration law. Other Americans will. … The Trump administration of course argues (as it does regarding the president’s declaration of an ’emergency’ justifying tariffs) that Noem’s exercise of discretion is not subject to judicial review. Reyes, however, eviscerates what she calls Noem’s claim to ‘unbounded discretion to make whatever determination she wants, any way she wants.'” (02/06/26)
- Is Christian nationalism on the march?
Source: spiked
by Georgina Mumford“From the hectoring TradCaths to Tommy Robinson’s carol services, mixing faith and politics damages both.” (02/07/26)
- Why conservatives must reject nationalized elections
Source: Orange County Register
by Carolyn Cavecche“[T]here are 50 states, over 3,100 counties and county-equivalents, and almost 20,000 cities, towns, and villages recognized by the Census Bureau. There are also numerous school boards, special districts, and state offices — the list goes on. Imagine one giant federal agency, one computer system with all our voter data, tasked with carrying out all elections: processing voter registration forms from hundreds of millions of voters, sending out ballot statements and sample ballots, handling voter centers and polling places, and securing, collecting, and tabulating every ballot cast in the United States of America. Any conservative who thinks that this is a good idea needs to turn in their conservative credentials.” (02/06/26)
- Prediction Markets and The Ethics of Betting on Bad News
Source: The Daily Economy
by Christopher Freiman“The main moral objection to prediction markets seems to be that it’s wrong to profit from someone’s misfortune. And intuitively there does seem to be something immoral about raking in thousands of dollars because you correctly predicted that a hurricane would hit a particular city or a particular war would break out, resulting in tremendous amounts of suffering. As Moscrop puts it, ‘Bettors will hold financial stakes in particular outcomes, including some of the most heinous events imaginable. It’s a fundamentally cynical and dehumanizing turn.’ But as natural as the gut-level unease with prediction markets is, we shouldn’t trust it. Prediction markets are both useful and morally benign. Prediction markets are useful precisely because they incentivize accurate forecasting.” (02/06/26)
https://thedailyeconomy.org/article/the-ethics-of-betting-on-future-bad-news/
- AIPAC Coordinates Donors in Illinois House Primaries
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen & Ryan Grim“With Israel’s reputation reaching record lows among Democrats, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is resorting to ever more sophisticated methods to support its preferred candidates while cloaking its own involvement. The amount of money that the premier pro-Israel organization is able to spend in elections is extraordinarily valuable to candidates who would otherwise have little chance of winning. But it now comes with a catch: If voters know the money comes from an organization advocating on behalf of Israel, it can do more harm than good. AIPAC road-tested its stealth approach in a 2024 House primary in Oregon that pitted Susheela Jayapal, the sister of Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), against physician Maxine Dexter. Dexter raised relatively little money throughout much of her campaign, then saw a last-minute deluge organized by AIPAC coupled with outside spending through super PACs, which themselves turned out to be funded by AIPAC.” (02/06/25)
https://prospect.org/2026/02/06/aipac-coordinates-donors-in-illinois-house-primaries/
- The Washington Post and the Limits of Mourning
Source: Liberal Currents
by Samuel Freedman“It is time to move from grief to revival.” (02/06/26)
https://www.liberalcurrents.com/the-washington-post-and-the-limits-of-mourning/
- The Dangers of a Little Learning
Source: Law & Liberty
by Aaron Alexander Zubia“In the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the genetically engineered superhuman, Khan Noonien Singh, is discovered in his exile on Ceti Alpha V with a bookshelf populated by the Bible, Dante’s Inferno, Shakespeare’s King Lear, Milton’s Paradise Lost, and Melville’s Moby Dick. His last words in the film are taken straight out of the latter, as the revenge-obsessed Khan murmurs to his nemesis, Captain James T. Kirk: ‘From hell’s heart, I stab at thee. For hate’s sake, I spit my last breath at thee.’ In the film Die Hard, the ruthless East German terrorist, Hans Gruber, also proclaims himself to be well read: ‘And when Alexander saw the breadth of his domain, he wept, for there were no more worlds to conquer,’ Gruber says, with the aside: ‘Benefits of a classical education.’ Reading great books does not necessarily make you a good person.” (02/06/26)
- Young America’s Affordability Crisis Has Political Consequences
Source: RealClearPolitics
by Micky Horstman“One and a half million more young adults live with their parents today than a decade ago. They’re losers … economically. Since the pandemic, fair market rents have increased as much as 40% in Chicago, the cost of owning a car is up more than 40%, and car insurance and health care prices have spiked. Student loan debt has quadrupled since 2000, and entry-level wages haven’t kept pace with inflation. For young people without financial or family support, it’s an affordability crisis that feels insurmountable. Cost of living was Gen Z’s top political issue in 2024; they feel the ‘American Dream’ slipping farther away.” (02/06/26)
- The Trump Administration Has a Conflicted Relationship with the Second Amendment
Source: Reason
by JD Tuccille“The Trump administration has a problem when it comes to the Second Amendment. A large part of its base consists of people who firmly believe in the right to keep and bear arms. But that right, as protected by the Second Amendment, empowers the individual and stands as a challenge to the authority of the state. This creates an awkward situation for a president and his coterie who don’t like being challenged or even criticized. That’s why we see administration officials arguing in favor of self-defense rights one moment while challenging the right to keep and bear arms at another.” (02/06/26)
- Pink Flame of Liberty, 02/07/6
Source: Pink Flame of Liberty
“Discussion on Christian fascist puff piece ‘What is Christian Nationalism?'” (02/07/26)
- Free Talk Live, 02/07/26
Source: Free Talk Live
“Trump posted a racist video of the Obamas :: Steph Curry an Israeli intelligence agent? :: Update on OpenAI sending subpoenas to people who talked to their employees :: Suing someone just to waste their time and money :: AI likely headed toward financial bubble :: Bonnie found Epstein email of JE making fun of Ross Ulbricht after arrest :: Tech companies to replace banks as secretive rulers of the world :: Zionism 2.0 :: Venezuela’s prison for torture revealed after Maduro arrest :: Speeding cameras of different sorts :: WhistlinDiesel arrested in TN for Montana plates :: 2026-02-07 Hosts: Bonnie, Riley O’Bill, Angelo.” (02/07/26)
- Nir & Rupar, 02/06/26
Source: Public Notice
“The GOP has learned to love Trump’s delusions.” (02/06/26)
https://www.publicnotice.co/p/the-gop-has-learned-to-love-trumps
- Unattended Baggage, episode 328
Source: Unattended Baggage
“Monkeys & Russians & Pedos, oh my!” (02/07/26)
https://unattendedbaggage.substack.com/p/episode-328-monkeys-and-russians
- Reveal, 02/07/26
Source: Mother Jones
“How Minneapolis Taught America to Fight Back.” (02/07/26)
- The Remnant with Jonah Goldberg, 02/07/26
Source: The Dispatch
“‘Complexity is a Subsidy’ | Ruminant,” (02/07/26)
https://thedispatch.com/podcast/remnant/complexity-is-a-subsidy-ruminant/
- Serious Trouble, 02/07/26
- Radio Atlantic, 02/07/26
Source: The Atlantic
“The Meaning of Melania.” (02/07/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/02/the-meaning-of-melania/685880/
- The Good Fight, 02/07/26
Source: Yascha Mounk
“Jung Chang on A Personal History of China.” (02/07/26)
- CounterPunch Radio, 02/07/26
Source: CounterPunch
“Zapatista Voices w/ Roberto Hernandez, Ana Vázquez & More.” (02/07/26)
https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/02/07/voices-from-zapatista-w-roberto-hernandez-ana-vazquez-more/
- The Brian Nichols Show, 02/06/26
Source: Lions of Liberty
“Dr. Mike IGNORES Science? The Vaccine Debate He WON’T Have.” (02/06/26)
https://www.lionsofliberty.com/episodes/tbns-dr-mike-ignores-science-the-vaccine-debate-he-wont-have
- NPR Politics Podcast, 02/06/26
Source: National Public Radio [US state media]
“How fights over ICE funding are playing out on the Hill and in midterm races.” (02/06/26)
- The Dishcast with Andrew Sullivan, 02/06/26
Source: The Weekly Dish
“Jason Willick On The Courts Under Trump.” (02/06/26)
https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/jason-willick-on-the-courts-under
- Galaxy Brain, 02/06/26
Source: The Atlantic
“The Manosphere Breaks Containment.” (02/06/26)
https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/2026/02/the-manosphere-breaks-containment/685907/
- Stop Buying Stadiums for Billionaires!
Source: Reason
“If sports is a trillion dollar industry, with billionaire team owners and millionaire players, and hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic fans, and weird pervert mascot creatures, why is the government giving them your money?” (02/06/26)
https://reason.com/video/2026/02/06/stop-buying-stadiums-for-billionaires/
- Political Theater, 02/06/26
Source: Roll Call
“Dishing about the Washington Press Club Foundation dinner.” (02/06/26)
https://chrt.fm/track/D3F8DG/traffic.megaphone.fm/FISCAL6042951675.mp3
- Kibbe on Liberty, episode 371
Source: Free the People
“DOJ’s Epstein Files Release Reveals Deep Corruption | Guest: Rep. Thomas Massie.” (02/06/26)
- The Tom Woods Show, episode 2733
Source: The Tom Woods Show
“Selections from my Right-Wing Library.” (02/06/26)
https://tomwoods.com/ep-2733-selections-from-my-right-wing-library/
- Pod Save America, 02/06/26
Source: Crooked Media
“Trump Threatens to Steal the Midterms.” (02/06/26)
- Rising, 02/06/26
Source: The Hill
“President Trump appeared to suggest that immigration agents could have used a ‘softer touch’ in their operation in Minnesota, sparking concern from some Republican lawmakers like Rep. Byron Donalds.” (02/06/26)
https://thehill.com/hilltv/rising/5720515-rising-february-6-2026/